Souls of Vengeance
by Grinning Cheshire
Summary: No matter what he tried, he could not manage to put her spirit to rest. He couldn't kill the Warden. Until the day he met the Lady Vengeance, who offered him one last chance to take his revenge. And it would only cost him his soul... For her sake, he would do whatever was required.


**Souls of Vengeance**

**Chapter 1: To Keep Evil at Bay.**

The smell of dead fish covered the ship yard like a malevolent force; heavy and inescapable no matter how far one journeyed down the long wooden pier. During the day, the docks of the small port town were bustling with people from all across Valoran who would come to purchase oddities and goods from the fishmongers and merchants that set up shops along the boardwalk. However, the port became abandoned at night, the stench of death only broken by the occasional cool breeze; the silence only disturbed by the creaking of the ships in the harbor, and on this particular night, by the heavy footsteps of a man as he ran down the seemingly endless stretch of wooden planks. Sweat poured down his sun-tanned face, his tattered white shirt already sopping wet. His breath came in rapid, short-lived heaves, creating a sound akin to the panting of a dog. His eyes wildly scanned the numerous closed shops, darting around in search of any light; any open window; any sign of life that might take him in… that might save him.

A fog slowly rose out of the water behind him, billowing up into the sky and spilling over onto the pier, covering everything in its path as the thick black clouds continued to pour out of the oddly still sea. The wind began to blow against the sailor, the disgusting scent of slaughter invading his body, his stomach churning as he struggled to keep up his pace. Behind him, the fog continued to advance, defying the wind that should have pushed back into the waves from which it came. As the dark mist came closer, a voice suddenly pierced the hunted man's mind, his entire body seeming to grow cold as a single word echoed all around him.

"Deceiver…"

An image flashed before the man's wide eyes: a lovely face, smiling up at him with a dreamy look. He froze in place, his feet suddenly feeling rooted to the ground, as his head turned to look at the encroaching wall of churning black and green. It was then he saw her, the spectra that had pursued him since the moment he had walked outside of that accursed house, her glowing blue eyes staring calmly at him from within the blanket of fog. Her long black hair was unmoved by the wind that blew against her, hanging still as a corpse from the opening in her black helmet. The fog covered the rest of her, but he could still see the ghostly green glow of the two spears that stuck out of the back of her battle-damaged armor.

"Vow-Breaker…"

A second scene obscured the hunter from his vision again. Another face stared at him, one he still considered far prettier than the first. This one bore a knowing smirk, as the woman whose name still served to drive him onward leaned towards him…

The memory vanished suddenly, and the Lady was right in front of his eyes. His mouth opened to scream, but all feeling suddenly left the sailor, leaving him staring wide-eyed at the ghastly thin blue arms of the monster as she drove a spectral spear through his chest. The ghostly weapon tore through his body as easily as it did his shirt, his back splitting open as Vengeance ran him through, his blood beginning to stain what remained of his shirt. Yet, the man felt nothing but a nauseating dizziness as images began flashing through his mind even as he realized he had been fatally wounded. The specter's long, claw-like fingers closed around his neck, as her other hand began to slowly pull the pike out of his chest.

"Murderer…"

That's when the pain struck him. Every fiber of his being seemed to cry out in agony as the spear was withdrawn, a mysterious force beginning to pull on something within him, intent on dragging it out of him. The torture only increased as more of the otherworldly weapon was removed from his chest, but his attention was suddenly turned from the source of his pain, as the spectra suddenly pushed his head up to gaze into her face. But it was the not the visage of an undead that awaited him, but rather on that he was very familiar with. _She_ now stared back at him, her beautiful brown eyes glaring at him with a hatred that could only be described as inhuman. Her face was not pretty as he remembered; it now glowed with the same light the Lady Vengeance emitted, and was covered with deep cuts that showed the completely darkness beneath her deathly-pale skin. She smiled at him again, but it was not the loving one she had always given on the nights they had spent alone; rather, her face was bitter but oddly satisfied as she watched the life begin to fade from his eyes.

"Betrayer…"

At the accusatory word, the last he would ever hear, her face vanished in a sudden burst of light, and the specter was before him again, a blue fire burning within the eye sockets he could now see were empty. Her mouth was turned into a hate-filled scowl, her grip around his neck tightening as she gave one last pull, completely removing her spear from his chest.

"Vengeance is taken…"

A ghostly pale light burst forth from the man's wound, wrapping around the weapon as the huntress returned it to her side. The murderer stumbled backwards, a scream finally escaping as feeling returned to him for a split second, before he plummeted off of the pier, the black fog rising up to consume him. There was not so much as a splash, as the corpse vanished from the living world.

"The price has been paid."

She felt no pain as she returned the ancient spear to the wound it had made in her chest so long ago, the soul of her latest victim merging into her own as its glow surrounded her before fading forever, now just as lost as the body it had inhabited. The contract had been fulfilled, and revenge had been taken. It was time for the Lady to return home.

Heat suddenly washed over in a painful wave, the fog around her dispersing as the unseen blast struck the back of the undead warrior's armor. She cried out, instinctively whirling around and summoning a transparent spear into her hand just in time to block her attacker's second shot. The beam of energy exploded against her weapon, knocking her back a step and obscuring her sight with a bright flash. Still, her 'eyes' could not be blinded, and it was only a second before her vision was restored and she beheld the interloper. He stood only a short distance away from her, twin rune guns still raised and emanating a steady glow. His black-skin stood out against the long white cloak he wore over his grey body armor; his split cape, like his long dreadlocks, lifted up by the unnatural wind that accompanied the fog.

"Who dares strike the Spear of Vengeance?!" The specter demanded, the glow that surrounded her intensifying. In response, the man gave a small grin, and cocked his head.

"Name's Lucian. Sorry for not introducing myself, I've just come to assume that all you freaks know who I am." He spoke in a slow drawl, the amusement in his voice doing little to obscure the bitterness behind his words. Indeed, his eyes, solid green in color with barely visible pupils, held no pleasantries at all, gazing upon the Lady with utter contempt. "'Fraid I ain't seen you before, corpse. What do you call yourself?"

"We were Kalista." Her echoing voice carried the pride of that name; yet her brow was furrowed. 'Lucian' tugged at her mind, for she had heard that name before, but memory was failing her. "Now, we are vengeance. We enforce the will of those betrayed."

"Really now? Cause it sure looked like you were taking that poor man's soul just a second ago…"

"Were you seeking to safe that murder's life? You failed horribly."

Lucian laughed at that, shaking his head as he slowly began to walk towards Kalista, the barrels of his guns beginning to give off a golden light.

"Save him? Nah, I don't get involved in what livin' people do. I just needed to be sure you were undead before I fired." As if taking his own cue, the gunslinger fired, one of his duel weapons letting out a stream of concentrated light magic. The Lady's spectral spear met it halfway, the two projectiles obliterating each other as they collided. Again, Kalista lost sight of her foe in the resulting flash, and instinct alone told her to move, a second beam barely missing her head. In response, the woman waved a hand, three more ghost spears appearing in the air in front of her. Quickly, she caught sight of Lucian, who did not seem to have moved at all, and sent the trio of weapons flying at him with another gesture. The attacks were dodged with a simple sidestep, though one of her spears sliced through the man's cape. Her volley was responded to by two more energy beams, easily blocked by a fourth spear, which was then promptly hurled at Lucian. The black man was caught off guard, but managed to roll out of the way of the deadly projectile, which sunk into the wooden wall behind him with a 'thunk.'

"I'll give you this… You're a lot more persistent than most of your kind…" Lucian took a few deep breaths as he returned to his feet, a smirk firmly planted on his face. The black fog encircled the two combatants now, obscuring everything but the wooden pier on which they stood. "But I'm afraid I'm gonna have to put an end to our little dance..." The gun in the man's right hand began to glow blue, as he leveled it at Kalista. He only moved slightly as the specter hurled another spear at his head, before he suddenly lowered his gun and blasted the pier underneath her.

Her feet burned as an emblem of a cross suddenly burst forth from the point Lucian had hit, the blue flames that formed it beginning to crawl up her legs. The Lady stumbled back, attempting to summon a spear to her hand while trying to escape the trap. However, all thoughts suddenly passed from her mind as a second laser struck her, piercing her armor and blasting a hole through her chest. Vengeance fell backwards, her feet losing hold on the wood as she plummeted into the black clouds.

Lucian walked forward, the fog fading around him as he stared over the edge of the boardwalk into the undisturbed water. A cold feeling of suspicion ran down his spine, but he was unable to turn around soon enough. Pain rushed through him as the spear pierced his back, tearing through his armor as if it was paper. He stumbled forward with a cry, but a cold hand wrapped around the back of his neck, and held him back from a watery grave.

"Lucian… You seek revenge…" Kalista whispered into his ear, her other hand holding the tip of a spear against his neck.

"Yeah, I do… And I'll start with you, my lady!" Though his breath came in ragged coughs, Lucian managed to spit out the words, only just realizing that he had been disarmed when he attempted to tighten his grip on his guns.

"Brave words for a mortal. But throwing away your life to our spears will be a terrible waste of such… potential." Her voice had changed; again, he only noticed when he felt a chill run down his spine at her words. "We have other plans for you… Purifier…"

"What do you want from me, freak?" The man hissed, doing best to glare at the undead behind him while she held his head in place.

"Swear your soul to us… and we will help you take vengeance on the ones who stole her from you…"

Lucian froze at that, the pain in his chest seeming to only grow worse. "How do you know about Senna?"

"You were correct. We have heard of you before, Purifier. The Shadow Isles still remember your assault on their Warden." Slowly, she turned him around, and he found himself gazing into the fires that were her eyes. "They will not allow you back a second time uninvited… But we shall bring you there… as our guest…"

Her face seemed impassive, but he could hear it in her voice. The Lady definitely had plans of her own, and she wanted him to be a pawn in them. Yet, all he could think of was the Warden… the one who had ripped Senna away from him… Thresh…

"You want my soul then... Alright, but on one condition."

"What do you desire, Purifier?"

"You will help me kill Thresh, and put Senna to rest. I don't care what happens after that." As he spoke, Lucian suddenly felt his head grow light, as a grin suddenly grew across Kalista's face.

"By our honor, the Warden of the Shadow Isles, and all who protect him, shall fall. Let vengeance be taken."

Light suddenly burst forth from Kalista, pouring into the wound in Lucian's back. The monster hunter was used to pain, but he had never had his mind attacked as it was now. Memories of a time before his birth flashed before him, and a feeling of extreme sadness washed over him as he attempted to understand the visions. But before he could make any sense of it, his sight was obscured by the black fog, and his senses suddenly went dead, the last thing he saw was the fire of Kalista's eyes.

"The Pact is made; the Oath is established…The souls of the Island shall soon be ours…"


End file.
